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Derry said there was an outside chance of Joe Pigott also being involved after recovering from the illness that has ruled him out of the last two games.

He said: “Joe is off the back of an illness that’s lingering a little bit longer than both he and we’d have hoped but we have a rule here - anybody that gets ill stays home and doesn’t come back until they’re fit and well.

“We can’t even open the doors to people who aren’t feeling 100 per cent right, so that’s what happened with Joe.

“We’ve sent him home and he has done his work at home, which is so important for us because we’ve got a busy Christmas period coming up and we need everybody to be right on top.”

Illness is set to keep Joe Pigott out.

Meanwhile, Derry hinted Elliot Omozusi may go out on loan once the transfer window opens next month in a bid to gain match fitness following his return to training after breaking his foot in pre-season.

He said: “Elliot has had a struggle. He has had a tough season so far after getting himself injured after four days of pre-season, so to miss the whole of the pre-season and the opening period of the new season has been a disaster for him.

“You look at Elliot now and he’s back out there on the training field and he’s still in my opinion playing catch-up.

“But he’s playing catch-up in a way where he has to go and play.

“He has got to go and get his games to take him into that next period of getting himself fit.

“He’s now at that stage where he’s available to go and play, but it’s going to be difficult for Elliot at this moment in time to pull on a shirt for us because of the levels that our group are playing at.

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“I’m pleased he’s back, I’m pleased for him because nobody wants to see injured players.

“As a player you don’t want to be missing out Monday to Friday and Elliot has now come back into the group which is important to him.

“Me and Elliot have had an honest and frank discussion about where he needs to be and he needs to be in a starting XI and it’s going to be difficult for him to be in our starting XI at this moment in time.”